1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surgical implement, and more particularly, to a surgical implement used to simultaneously retract and view bodily tissues. Even more particularly, the invention relates to an endoscopic retractor equipped with an imaging unit to form images of bodily tissues which are exposed from operation of the endoscopic retractor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many surgical procedures done today typically include the use of an endoscopic device to aid surgeons and medical staff to visualize bodily tissues exposed during a surgical procedure. An endoscopic procedure may even be carried out to merely view bodily tissues (e.g., a colonoscopy). Basically, an endoscope is inserted through the skin of a patient into a prepared opening in the body which is typically called a cavity. The cavity is often filled with air or other gasses to expand the cavity for better viewing. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,965 to Anspach, Jr., et. al. The '965 patent teaches an endoscope retainer that does not slip out of a cavity and also retracts soft tissue around the opening in the cavity away from the cavity to provide a better view of the cavity.
Typically, the endoscopes of the type contemplated herein, include a probe part which is inserted into an bodily organ. Generally, the probe part includes a charge coupled device (CCD) on its end to form images of the object of interest (e.g., a heart or other bodily organ), an illuminating member such as light channel to supply light to the object of interest, a lens though which the CCD captures a reflection of the light illuminated by the illuminating member from the object of interest and a receiving channel member to receive and transmit the electric signals produced by the CCD to a main system which converts the electric signals into image signals (e.g., NTSC signals or other signals which are displayable on a television tube device or on another type of cathode ray device--e.g., a computer terminal screen). See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,446 to Nudelman et al. The '446 patent, in particular, discloses a probe carrying a single fiber optics channel including a flexible coherent fiber optics bundle for both transmitting illumination light and receiving reflected light from the object. An endoscope of such a configuration can be used in very small diameter applications, such as those required in the imaging of coronary arteries.
Procedures currently being done with an endoscope include gall bladder surgery, knee surgery, hernia surgery, insertion of breast implants through a long tube through the navel, brow lift surgery, and colon resection. Additionally, OB/GYN surgeons have been using endoscopy for many years to treat various problems of the pelvic area. Orthopedic surgeons use endoscopic procedures to treat and access joint cavities.
The benefits which result from using an endoscope are not, however, available to all types of medical procedures. This is because many procedures that exist today and that require a relatively small opening of the skin of a subject to allow for direct visualization and/or insertion of implantable material are not being done endoscopically due to the impracticality of current technologies. For example in breast augmentation in women, an incision of approximately 3 to 4 centimeters (cm) is made under a women's breast. Through this relatively small incision, a relatively large implant needs to be inserted into an even larger pocket, which pocket needs to be created through the small incision. To help facilitate this type of procedure, there are currently available lighted retractors. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,228 to Shin et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,232 to Lutze et al.
Generally, a retractor is a hand-held rod-like structure which is curved in such a way as to allow a surgeon to pull tissue away from an incision in order to open the incision to provide for direct visualization of the operative sight or location. A surgeon may more easily visualize the pocket with a lighted retractor of the type contemplated above. However, problems still exist when visualizing deep pockets. For example, the operating surgeon often must contort her body and neck in order to strain to see the depths of the wound made by a relatively small incision. A surgeon often encounters similar problems when doing face lifts, particularly in the area of the neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,198 to VanBeek attempts to alleviate some of the problems mentioned above with a stereoscopic microsurgery system. In the system of the '198 patent, a head mounted viewing assembly, including dual optical viewers, is used for depth of field viewing of an operative sight or location. Problematically, however, the system of the '198 patent is bulky and inconvenient to use and it does not provide a clear and complete view of the operative site as would and imaging device of the type used in endoscopes.